Composition for diagnosing allergies to mites, method of diagnosing  allergies to mites, and composition for preventing or treating allergies to mites

ABSTRACT

Mite proteins according to an aspect may be used in diagnosing allergic diseases. Results of diagnosing allergic diseases by using the proteins have high reliability and validity. Further, the proteins may be used in a composition for preventing or treating allergic diseases.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0122870, filed on Sep. 22, 2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a composition and a kit for diagnosing allergies to mites, a method of diagnosing allergies to mites, and a composition for preventing or treating allergies to mites.

2. Description of the Related Art

House dust mites (HDM) are the most ubiquitous indoor aeroallergen worldwide. Sensitization due to chronic and continuous exposure to allergens causes a variety of diseases throughout one's lifetime, starting from a young age. Sensitization to HDM may cause allergic rhinitis (AR), allergic asthma (AA), and atopic dermatitis (AD).

Major species of pathogenic mites causing allergic diseases include Dermatophagoides farinae (D. farinae) and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pteronyssinus). These two species account for about 90% of HDM allergies. Sensitization profiles of HDM show geographical variations. D. farina is predominant in dry regions, while D. pteronyssinus lives in humid regions. In Korea, most of the patients sensitized to storage mites are also sensitized to HDM, and thus they tend to show cross-reactivity.

Recently, it has been reported that various components of HDM, for example, mite body, feces, eggs, exuviae, etc., are associated with various allergic diseases, and the respective proteins having various immunological-biological characteristics. For this reason, HDM may cause various diseases during the development of allergies, and HDM may cause various sensitization patterns. Precise identification of sensitization patterns is important for accurate diagnosis and treatment, particularly for allergen specific immunotherapy (AIT).

Accordingly, the present inventors analyzed IgE reactivities in Korean patients with HDM allergies who showed various clinical signs, and they identified allergens specific to allergic diseases, thereby completing the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

An aspect provides a composition for diagnosing an allergic disease to at least one mite species.

Another aspect provides a kit for diagnosing an allergic disease to at least one mite species.

Still another aspect provides a method of providing information which is needed to diagnose an allergic disease to at least one mite species.

Still another aspect provides a composition for preventing or treating an allergic disease to at least one mite species.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1A to 1D show differences in IgE reactivities between allergic respiratory disease patients and atopic dermatitis patients, in which FIG. 1A shows a protein profile of Dermatophagoides farinae, FIG. 1B shows IgE reactivity of allergic respiratory disease patients, FIG. 1C shows IgE reactivity of atopic dermatitis-accompanying allergic respiratory disease patients, and FIG. 1D shows IgE reactivity of atopic dermatitis patients;

FIGS. 2A to 2D show differences in IgE reactivities between allergic respiratory disease patients and allergic dermatitis patients, as analyzed by two-dimensional protein separation, in which FIG. 2A shows a protein profile of Dermatophagoides farinae, FIG. 2B shows IgE reactivity of allergic respiratory disease patients, FIG. 2C shows IgE reactivity of atopic dermatitis-accompanying allergic respiratory disease patients, and FIG. 2D shows IgE reactivity of atopic dermatitis patients;

FIG. 3 shows results of examining recombinant allergens of Dermatophagoides farinae;

FIG. 4 shows results of comparing IgE reactivities to mite allergens by ELISA and ImmunoCAP;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show sensitization profiles of all allergic disease patients and allergic respiratory disease or skin allergic disease patient groups with respect to house dust mite component allergens;

FIGS. 6A and 6B show the distribution of the number of sensitized component allergens in allergic respiratory disease patients and dermatitis patients; and

FIG. 7 shows IgE reactivities specific to component allergens in the respective disease groups.

FIG. 8 show percent (%) of dual sensitizer or multiple sensitizer to sensitized house dust mites component allergens.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An aspect provides a composition for diagnosing allergies to mites, the composition including Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof. The protein may include a polypeptide or a fragment thereof, wherein the polypeptide may include an amino acid sequence having about 95% or more, about 96% or more, about 97% or more, about 98% or more, about 99% or more, or 100% sequence homology with any one amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. The composition may include a polypeptide or a fragment thereof, or a combination thereof, wherein the polypeptide may include an amino acid sequence having about 95% or more, about 96% or more, about 97% or more, about 98% or more, about 99% or more, or 100% sequence homology with any one amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

Der f 11 is a fragment of paramyosin and has about 98 kDa. Der f 11 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number AAK39511.1, European Nucleotide Archive number A1008864, or UniProtKB Accession number Q967Z0, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 19, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number AF352244, or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2. Der f 13 is a fatty acid-binding protein and has about 15 kDa. Der f 13 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number AAP35078, European Nucleotide Archive number AAP35078.1, or UniProtKB Accession Number Q1M2P5, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number AY283293, or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4. Der f 14 is a fragment of apolipophorin and has about 177 kDa. Der f 14 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number BAA04558, European Nucleotide Archive number P39673, or UniProtKB Accession Number Q94507, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5 or SEQ ID NO: 20, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number D17686, or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6. Der f 32 is secreted inorganic pyrophosphatase and has about 35 kDa. Der f 32 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number A1008849.1, or European Nucleotide Archive number A1008849, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number KM009993, or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. Der f Alt a 10 is aldehyde dehydrogenase and has about 53 kDa. Der f Alt a 10 may include an amino acid sequence registered as UniProtKB Accession Number A1KXH7 or European Nucleotide Archive number AAP35081, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as European Nucleotide Archive number AY283296, or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 10.

The composition may include Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, ora combination thereof. The protein may include a polypeptide or a fragment thereof, wherein the polypeptide may include an amino acid sequence having about 95% or more, about 96% or more, about 97% or more, about 98% or more, about 99% or more, or 100% sequence homology with any one amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 11, 13, 15, and 17. The composition may include a polypeptide or a fragment thereof, or a combination thereof, wherein the polypeptide may include an amino acid sequence having about 95% or more, about 96% or more, about 97% or more, about 98% or more, about 99% or more, or 100% sequence homology with any one amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 11, 13, 15, and 17.

Der f 1 is cysteine protease and has 27 kDa. Der f 1 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number BAC53948, or UniProtKB Accession Number Q58A71, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11 or SEQ ID NO: 21, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number AB034946 or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 22. Der f 2 is an NPC2 family and has 15 kDa. Der f 2 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number BAA01240 or UniProtKB Accession Number Q00855, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number D10448 or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14. Der f 10 is tropomyosin and has 37 kDa. Der f 10 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number BAA04557 or UniProtKB Accession Number Q23939, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 15, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number D17682 or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 16. Der f 30 is ferritin and has 16 kDa. Der f 30 may include an amino acid sequence registered as GenBank Accession number GC56219.1 or UniProtKB Accession Number L7UZ91, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17, or an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence registered as GenBank Accession number KC305503 or a nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18.

The “homology” means a percentage of identity between nucleotide sequences of two polynucleotides or between amino acid sequences of two polypeptides. A sequence homology between one moiety and another moiety may be determined by technologies known in the art, and for example, determined by a BLAST algorithm as disclosed in a literature [see Karlin and Altschul, Pro. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90, 5873(1993)] or by Pearson's FASTA [see Methods Enzymol., 183, 63(1990)].

The “fragment” means a part of a polypeptide, not the whole polypeptide, and reacts with IgE antibody to induce an antigen-antibody reaction. The protein may be, derived from a mite, an allergen causing an allergic disease. The protein may be a mite body, feces, egg, or exuviae, or a combination thereof.

The protein may be recombinantly prepared using animal cells or bacteria. The protein may include an additional amino acid sequence. The protein may include, for example, an additional amino acid sequence at the N-terminus and/or C-terminus of a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or a fragment thereof. The additional amino acid sequence may be added in order to purify the recombinantly prepared protein, for example, in order to apply the protein to affinity column chromatography. The bacteria may be microorganisms of the genus Escherichia, and for example, E. coli. The bacteria may be Pichia. With regard to the composition, when the protein is recombinantly prepared and expressed in bacteria, the protein may be obtained by introducing into the bacteria a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide or a fragment thereof, wherein the polypeptide includes an amino acid sequence having about 95% or more sequence homology with the amino acid sequence of the above SEQ ID NO. The polynucleotide having the nucleotide sequence may be codon-optimized for the bacteria.

Introduction of the polynucleotide into bacteria may be, for example, introduction of the polynucleotide in the form of an expression cassette or introduction of the polynucleotide itself. The expression cassette may include all elements required for autonomous expression of the polynucleotide. The expression cassette may include a promoter operably linked to the polynucleotide, a transcription termination signal, a ribosome binding site, and a translation termination signal. The expression cassette may be in the form of a self-replicable expression vector. The vector may be an expression vector known in the art. For introduction of the polynucleotide itself, the polynucleotide may be operably linked to a sequence needed for expression in a host cell to be introduced. The bacteria into which the polynucleotide is introduced may be transformed bacteria.

Culturing of the bacteria for the production of the recombinant protein may be performed according to appropriate media and culture conditions known in the art. Those skilled in the art may easily modify the culture process depending on a selected strain. The culture method may include batch culture, continuous culture, and fed-batch culture, but is not limited thereto. Various methods of culturing microorganisms are disclosed in, for example, Biochemical Engineering, James M. Lee, Prentice-Hall International Editions.

The media may include a variety of carbon sources, nitrogen sources, and trace elements. Carbon sources that are applicable to media for culturing microorganisms may include carbohydrates such as glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, maltose, starch, and cellulose; oils such as soybean oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, and coconut oil; fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid; alcohols such as glycerol and ethanol; and organic acids such as acetic acid, but are not limited thereto. These carbon sources may be used alone or in combination thereof. Nitrogen sources that are applicable to media for culturing microorganisms may include organic nitrogen sources such as peptone, yeast extract, meat extract, malt extract, corn steep liquor, and soybean meal, and inorganic nitrogen sources such as urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium phosphate, ammonium carbonate and ammonium nitrate, but are not limited thereto. These nitrogen sources may be used alone or in combination thereof. Phosphorus sources that are applicable to media for culturing microorganisms may include potassium phosphate monobasic, potassium phosphate dibasic, and corresponding sodium-containing salts. The media may further include a metal salt such as magnesium sulfate or iron sulfate. In addition, the media may include amino acids, vitamins, appropriate precursors, etc. The media for culturing microorganisms or individual components may be added to culture media in a batch or continuous manner.

The “allergen” means an antigen that causes an allergic disease or an antigen that is a cause of an allergic disease. Once antibodies are produced in a human body by intake or contact of any kind of a substance containing the allergen, an antigen-antibody reaction may occur by re-intake or re-contact of the same substance.

With regard to the composition, since the protein is an allergen which is a cause of allergies to mites, allergies to mites may be diagnosed by examining an antigen-antibody reaction between the protein and IgE antibodies in a biological sample isolated from a subject.

The “diagnosis” means confirming the presence or characteristics of pathological state. Therefore, the diagnosis of allergies to mites means confirming or predicting occurrence of allergies to mites or possibility of occurrence of allergies to mites.

The “antibody” is, a term known in the art, a specific polypeptide directed against an antigenic region, or a fragment thereof. The IgE antibody is a sensitizing antibody produced by an allergen, and produced by plasma cells, and binds to a receptor on the surface of mast cells or basophils. IgE antibody may cause anaphylaxis (a specific symptom caused by an antigen-antibody reaction).

The mite may be a house dust mite, a storage mite, or a combination thereof. The mite may be Dermatophagoides farina, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Euroglyphus maynei, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Blomia tropicalis, or a combination thereof. That is, since there is cross-reactivity between mites, the allergic disease may be caused by Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Euroglyphus maynei, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Blomia tropicalis, or a combination thereof.

The allergic disease may be targeted to a people including Korean. The allergic disease may be allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, or a combination thereof. When a positive reaction is detected in the binding between IgE antibody in a sample and Der f 1, Der f 2, or a combination thereof, the sample may be diagnosed with allergic disease. When a positive reaction is detected in the binding between IgE antibody in a sample and Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof, the sample may be diagnosed with allergic dermatitis. When a negative reaction is detected in the binding between IgE antibody in a sample and Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof, the sample may be diagnosed with allergic respiratory disease.

Clinical symptoms of a patient may be accurately predicted and appropriate immunotherapy may be applied to the patient by monitoring allergen sensitization patterns and profiles during progression of allergic reaction.

Another aspect provides a kit for diagnosing allergies to mites, the kit including Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof.

The kit may include Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, or a combination thereof.

The protein, polypeptide or fragment thereof, composition, mite, diagnosis of allergies are the same as described above.

The kit may be manufactured into many different kinds of known kits. For example, the kit may be a kit for immunoassay, which may qualitatively or quantitatively analyze reactivity between the protein and IgE antibodies in a biological sample isolated from a subject.

The kit may include a solid substrate which is coated with the protein, anti-IgE antibody which is able to bind to IgE antibodies in a biological sample isolated from a subject and is conjugated with a label generating a detectable signal, and a reagent which is needed to detect an antigen (allergen)-antibody (IgE) reaction. The solid substrate may be hydrocarbon polymers (e.g., polystyrene, polypropylene, etc.), glass, metals, or gels. The solid substrate may be a microtiter plate. The label generating a detectable signal may include a chemical (e.g., biotin, etc.), an enzyme (e.g., alkaline phosphatase, 3-galactosidase, horseradish peroxidase, Cytochrome P450, etc.), a radioactive substance, a fluorescent substance (e.g., fluorescein, etc.), a luminescent substance, a chemiluminescent substance, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), but is not limited thereto. Various labels and labeling methods are described in Ed Harlow and David Lane, Using Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1999. The kit may be manufactured to have a plurality of separate packages or compartments including the above-described components.

Still another aspect provides a method of detecting binding of Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof and IgE antibodies in a biological sample isolated from a subject, in order to provide information needed for diagnosis of allergies to mites.

The method may include detecting binding of Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, or a combination thereof and IgE antibodies in a biological sample isolated from a subject.

The protein, polypeptide or fragment thereof, composition, mite, and diagnosis of allergies are the same as described above.

The “subject” means a subject who is examined or predicted in order to confirm whether or not having an allergic disease to at least one mite species or having possibility of an allergic disease to at least one mite species. The subject may be a vertebrate, specifically a mammal, an amphibian, a reptile, a bird, etc., and more specifically a mammal, for example, a human (Homo sapiens). The human may be a Korean people.

The “biological sample” may include tissues, cells, whole blood, serum, plasma, saliva, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, etc., which is separated from the subject, but is not limited thereto.

The method may be performed by immunoassay (antigen-antibody reaction). The immunoassay may include radioimmunoassay, radioimmuno-precipitation, immuno-precipitation, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), capture-ELISA, inhibition or competition assay, sandwich assay, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence staining, and immunoaffinity purification, but is not limited thereto. The immunoassay is described in Enzyme Immunoassay, E. T. Maggio, ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 1980; Gaastra, W., Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 1, Walker, J. M. ed., Humana Press, N J, 1984; and Ed Harlow and David Lane, Using Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1999, which may be served as a reference.

For example, when the method is performed by the radioimmunoassay method, an antibody (IgE-specific antibody) labeled with a radioisotope (e.g., C¹⁴, I¹²⁵, P³², S³⁵, etc.) may be used. In the method, antibody bound with the above-described label generating a detectable signal may be also used. For example, when the method is performed by the ELISA method, the method may include (i) coating a surface of a solid substrate with the identified protein; (ii) adding a biological sample isolated from a subject to the coated solid substrate; (iii) reacting the resultant of (ii) with an anti-IgE secondary antibody conjugated with an enzyme; and (iv) measuring activity of the enzyme. The enzyme conjugated to the secondary antibody may include an enzyme catalyzing colorimetric, fluorometric, luminescence, or infra-red reactions, but is not limited thereto, and for example, alkaline phosphatase, β-galactosidase, horseradish peroxidase, luciferase, or Cytochrome P450. When alkaline phosphatase is used as the enzyme conjugated to the secondary antibody, a colorimetric substrate such as bromochloroindolyl phosphate, nitro blue tetrazolium, naphthol-AS-B1-phosphate, or enhanced chemifluorescence (ECF) may be used as a substrate. When horseradish peroxidase is used, chloronaphtol, aminoethylcarbazol, diaminobenzidine, D-luciferin, lucigenin (bis-N-methylacridinium nitrate), resorufin benzyl ether, luminol, Amplex Red reagent (10-acetyl-3,7-dihydroxyphenoxazine), p-phenylenediamine-HCl and pyrocatechol (HYR), tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), 2,2′-azine-di[3-ethylbenzthiazoline sulfonate (ABTS), o-phenylenediamine, naphthol/pyronine, glucose oxidase and t-nitroblue tetrazolium (t-NBT) or m-phenazine methosulfate (m-PMS) may be used as a substrate.

Providing information needed for diagnosis of allergies to mites may be for prediction or diagnosis of relative risk of allergies to mites. When a positive reaction is detected in biding between IgE antibody and Der f 1, Der f 2, or a combination thereof, it may be determined that the subject belongs to a high risk group for the development of allergies to mites. When a positive reaction is detected in biding between IgE antibody and Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alta 10, ora combination thereof, it may be determined that the subject belongs to a high risk group for the development of atopic dermatitis to mites. When a negative reaction is detected in biding between IgE antibody and Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof, it may be determined that the subject belongs to a high risk group for the development of allergic respiratory diseases to mites.

In the method, measurement of the final enzymatic activity or measurement of the signal may be performed according to various methods known in the art. The detection of the signal indicates binding of the protein and IgE in the biological sample isolated from the subject, and this information may be utilized in diagnosing allergies to mites.

Still another aspect provides a composition for preventing or treating allergies to mites, the composition including Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof.

The composition may include Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, ora combination thereof.

The composition may be an immunotherapy composition for preventing or treating allergies to mites.

The “immunotherapy (allergen immunotherapy)” means a therapy of reducing sensitivity or hypersensitivity to a specific allergen by administering an allergen which is a cause of allergic disease to the subject via injection, starting with a low dose, with gradual increases in dose for a predetermined period. That is, the immunotherapy means a hyposensitization therapy for a causative allergen. The immunotherapy may be performed via subcutaneous injection and/or respiratory tract. Such an immunotherapy may be a therapy consisting of two phases: an initial therapy of reaching a maintenance dose by gradually increasing a dose of allergen, starting from a low dose, and a maintenance therapy of maintaining the dose for 3 years to 5 years; a therapy of administering a high dose of allergen for a day to a week immediately before the season; or a therapy of administering a low dose of allergen for several years. Through the immunotherapy of administering the protein or the composition, manifestation of symptoms by antigen-antibody reactions may be prevented or inhibited at the time of subsequent exposure to the allergen. In other words, since the protein is a cause of allergies to mites, the protein may be used in the immunotherapy for preventing or treating allergies to mites.

The composition may be a pharmaceutical composition. The pharmaceutical composition may include the allergen which is the active ingredient in an amount of about 0.0001% by weight to about 50% by weight, with respect to the total weight of the composition. For administration, the pharmaceutical composition may be prepared by further including one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, in addition to the above-described active ingredient. The pharmaceutically acceptable carrier may include a saline solution, sterilized water, Ringer's solution, buffered saline, a dextrose solution, a maltodextrin solution, glycerol, ethanol, liposome, and a mixture of one or more thereof. As needed, other common additives such as an antioxidant, a buffer solution, a bacteriostatic agent, etc. may be added. Further, the composition may be formulated into injectable formulations such as aqueous solutions, suspensions, emulsions, etc., pills, capsules, granules, or tablets by additionally adding a diluent, a dispersant, a surfactant, a binder, and a lubricant. It is also possible to bind such carriers with a target organ-specific antibody or other ligands so that they may act specifically on a target organ. Furthermore, the composition may be formulated depending on diseases or ingredients according to an appropriate method known in the art or a method described in a literature (Remington's Pharmaceutical Science, Mack Publishing Company, Easton Pa.).

The pharmaceutical composition may be formulated for oral, topical, parenteral, intranasal, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intraocular, or transdermal administration. The pharmaceutical composition may be administered orally or parenterally at the time of clinical administration. Upon parenteral administration, the pharmaceutical composition may be administered intranasally, sublingually, or intratracheally, or by intraperitoneal, intrarectal, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intracerebrovascular, or intrathoracic injection. The administration subject may be a mammal such as a human, a pig, a cow, a horse, a dog, a cat, or an experimental animal, e.g., a mouse, a rat, a rabbit, a guinea pig, or a hamster. An administration dosage of the composition to be used may be controlled by various parameters, in particular, the mode of administration or duration of treatment. In addition, a range thereof may be controlled depending on the subject's body weight, age, sex, health status, diet, excretion rate, and severity of allergy symptoms to mites. A daily dose may be about 0.0001 mg/kg to about 100 mg/kg, or about 0.001 mg/kg to about 10 mg/kg once or several times a day. By identifying sensitization profiles between respiratory diseases and skin diseases induced by mites, more accurate diagnosis and immunotherapy are possible.

The mite proteins according to an aspect may be used in diagnosing allergic diseases. Results of diagnosing allergic diseases by using the proteins have high reliability and validity. Further, the proteins may be used in a composition for preventing or treating allergic diseases.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein. Accordingly, the embodiments are merely described below, by referring to the figures, to explain aspects of the present description. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to Examples. However, these Examples are for illustrative purposes only, and the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by these Examples.

Example 1. Identification of Pathogenesis-Related Protein Molecules in Mites and Analysis of Reactivities Thereof in Allergic Disease Patients

1. Selection of Patients and Statistical Analysis in Allergic Rhinitis, Allergic Asthma, or Atopic Dermatitis Patients

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Yonsei University Health System (4-2013-0397), and conducted in the Allergy and Asthma Clinic of Severance Hospital. Selection criteria for HDM allergy patients are as follows: 1) patients aged 6 to 80 years, 2) patients (AA, AR, or AD) who were diagnosed with HDM allergic disease by allergists, and 3) HDM sensitization confirmed by skin prick test (SPT) for D. farinae or specific IgE (sIgE) detection. Patients under ATI treatment were excluded. Subsequently, the patients were divided into three groups: 1) patients only with allergic respiratory disease, 2) patients with both allergic respiratory disease and atopic dermatitis, and 3) patients only with atopic dermatitis. 20 persons were selected as controls. All participants signed a written consent form. Blood samples were collected from all the subjects, and stored at about −70° C. for further experiments.

Statistical data of 160 HDM allergy patients are shown in Table 1 below. In the following Table 1, age and wheal size are presented as the mean±standard deviation. The mean age of the patients was about 26.7 years. Of the three groups classified by clinical diagnosis, the atopic dermatitis patient group was younger (P<0.001) and showed higher sIgE titers than the allergic respiratory disease patient group. Allergic conjunctivitis, food allergy, and drug allergy were common in the allergic respiratory disease patient group, as compared with the atopic dermatitis patient group. The atopic dermatitis patient group showed the highest value in total IgE titer (p<0.001). There was no difference in the size of wheal to D. farinae between groups. However, the atopic dermatitis patient group showed the highest value in sIgE titer of D. farinae (p<0.001).

TABLE 1 Total AA/AR AA/AR + AD AD (n = 160) (n = 67) (n = 41) (n = 52) P value Age (year) 26.7 ± 15.7 33.6 ± 17.9 21.1 ± 10.9 22.2 ± 12.4 <0.001 Male:Female 97:63 38:29 27:14 32:20 0.573 Diagnosis, n(%) Allergic asthma (AA) 68(42.5) 49(72.1) 19(46.3) 0(0) <0.001 Allergic rhinitis (AR) 102(63.8)  65(97.0) 37(90.2) 0(0) <0.001 Atopic dermatitis (AD) 93(58.1) 0(0)  41(100)   52(100) <0.001 Allergic conjunctivitis 33(20.6) 17(25.4) 14(34.1)  2(3.8) 0.001 Food allergy 18(11.3) 14(20.9) 1(2.4)  3(5.8) 0.002 Drug allergy 4(2.5) 4(6.0) 0(0)  0(0) 0.031 Total IgE (kU/L) 1513.7 ± 1637.4 547.9 ± 585.1 1910.8 ± 1859.2 2146.9 ± 1747.4 <0.001 D. farinae sensitization Wheal size(mm) 8.4 ± 5.7 8.5 ± 6.0 8.0 ± 5.5 8.2 ± 3.8 0.875 sIgE titer (kU_(A)/L) 53.6 ± 41.1 31.8 ± 29.9 64.3 ± 43.1 73.2 ± 39.2 <0.001

2. Skin Prick Test (SPT) of Allergic Disease Patients

53 kinds of aeroallergens (HDM, tree pollen, grass pollen, weed pollen, mold, dander, and cockroach) were used to perform a skin prick test. A saline solution containing 0.3% phenol and 50% glycerol was used as a negative control, and a saline solution containing 0.1% histamine (Allergy Therapeutics, Worthing, UK) was used as a positive control. Administration of drugs which may influence SPT was stopped for all patients. 15 minutes after allergen administration, results of SPT were analyzed. A wheal larger than 3 mm was determined as a positive reaction.

3. Analysis of Characteristics and IgE Reactivity of D. farinae (I)

Standardized D. farinae extract (20 μg, Yonsei Allergy Institute, Seoul, Korea) was separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) using a 15% gel. Subsequently, separated proteins were transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes (0.45 μm, GE Water & Process Technologies, Trevose, Pa., USA). The membranes were incubated in 3% skim milk overnight to block non-specific binding. Then, sera of patients were added thereto, followed by incubation at 37° C. overnight. Next, 1:1000-diluted mouse anti-human IgE (Southern Biotech, Birmingham, Ala.) was added and incubated for 1 hour. Next, nitro blue tetrazolium and 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-phosphate (Promega, Madison, Wis.) were used for color development.

Differences in IgE reactivity between allergic respiratory disease patient and atopic dermatitis patient are shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1A is an image showing separation of proteins of D. farinae under denaturation conditions. FIG. 1B shows IgE reactivities of sera collected from the subjects with respiratory allergy. Referring to FIG. 1B, a clear single band of 14 kDa was detected. Referring to FIGS. 1C and 1D, the atopic dermatitis patient group showed multiple IgE reactivities to mite proteins having different sizes, as compared with the allergic respiratory disease patient group.

4. Analysis of Characteristics and IgE Reactivity of D. farinae (II)

Mite extract was desalted using trichloroacetic acid, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was performed. 0.1 mg of HDM extract was subjected to electrophoresis on an isoelectric focusing gel of pH 3 to pH 10, and separated on a 15% sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel. The separated proteins were stained with Coomassie blue or transferred to a PVDF membrane (Millipore, Billerica, USA), followed by immunoblotting. Thereafter, IgE reactive components were examined in pooled sera of 10 subjects (1:4). IgE antibody was detected by alkaline phosphatase-conjugated goat anti-human IgE (1:1000) (Sigma-Aldrich). Next, nitro blue tetrazolium and 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-phosphate were used for color development. In order to identify IgE antibody-reactive proteins, LC-equipped ESI-MS/MS was performed in ProteomeTech (Seoul, Korea). Amino acid sequences of HDM-related proteins identified by this analysis were used to produce HDM CRD allergens.

In order to examine validity of the proteins detected in SDS-PAGE, two-dimensional electrophoresis and Western blotting were performed, and shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2A shows results of separating proteins of D. farinae under denaturation conditions. Results of identifying proteins which specifically reacted with IgE antibody in each patient group are shown in FIGS. 2B to 2D. As shown in FIG. 2B, clear spots of 14 kDa were detected in the allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis patient group. Referring to FIGS. 2C and 2D, the atopic dermatitis patient group tended to react various HDM proteins, as compared with the allergic respiratory disease patient group. The spots indicated by arrows were analyzed by LC-equipped ESI-MS/MS. A1 spot in the allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis patient group was identified as Der f 2. 10 to 13 kinds of different allergens were identified in the atopic dermatitis patient group. 14 kinds of spots were detected in the atopic dermatitis-accompanying allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis patient group (B1 to B14 spots of FIG. 2). 13 kinds of spots were detected in the atopic dermatitis patient group (C1 to C13 spots of FIG. 2). HDM-related CRD allergens among 28 kinds of spots are as follows: Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 30, and Der f Alt a 10. Results of identifying spots in two-dimensional electrophoresis are shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 point Identification (origin) Weight Score A1 Der f 2 14,026 333 Der f 13 14,971 103 B1 Nesprin-1 129,899 66 (Cerapachys biroi) B2 Der f 1 23,763 100 B4 Nesprin-1 129,899 59 (Cerapachys biroi) B6 Der f 1 23,763 209 Der f 32 33,951 70 B7 Der f 1 23,763 145 B8 Der f 1 23,763 208 B9 Der f 1 23,763 179 B10 Der f Alt a 10 allergen 54,162 83 B11 Der f 30 19,770 169 B12 Der f 30 19,770 248 B13 Der f 30 19,770 137 B14 AGAP009853-PA-like 46,460 58 protein(Anopheles sinensis) C1 Der p 14 190,542 97 C2 Der f 11 102,407 510 C3 Mag 3 allergen 40,520 79 C4 Der f 11 102,407 1,055 C6 Der f 14 39,643 295 C9 Alpha-enolase 47,214 62 C10 Not detected C11 Der f 14 39,643 65 C12 Der f 14 39,643 93 C13 Cytochrome P450 101,332 60 3A9(Crassostrea gigas)

5. Preparation of HDM Component Allergens

Based on amino acid sequences of the analyzed allergens, recombinant allergens were prepared as follows.

Recombinant Der f 1, Der f 2, and Der f 10 were prepared as follows. A mutant Der f 1 pro-form having a histidine tag at the C-terminus was prepared in a Pichia expression system. Der f 2 derived from inclusion body and Der f 10 derived from a soluble fraction were expressed in E. coli, and purified using a Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) resin (Qiagen, Valencia, Calif.). Der f 14 and Der f 11 were prepared as peptide fragments. Since peptide fragments of Der f 14 degraded by protease are more allergenic than non-fragmented Der f 14, partial C-terminal sequences of Der f 14 were prepared and expressed. Der f 11 was prepared by expressing Der f 11 peptide fragment which is known as an immunodominant peptide. In order to clone Der f 11 peptide fragment, Der f 13, Der f 14 peptide fragment, Der f 30, Der f 32, and Der f Alt a 10, total RNA was isolated from mites, and the isolated total RNA was used to synthesize cDNA. Based on sequences registered in GenBank, oligonucleotide primer sets specific to respective allergens were prepared, and the primer sets and the synthesized cDNA were used to amplify coding regions of the respective allergens by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sequences of the oligonucleotide primer sets for amplification and expression, and host cells, which were used in the cloning of the allergens, are shown in Table 3 below. In Table 3, * represents the peptide fragment. cDNA fragment of each allergen was ligated with a pEXP5NT TOPO vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.), and this vector was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) or Pichia. 1 mM isopropyl-1-thio-β-D-galactopyranoside was added to induce expression of the recombinant allergens. Subsequently, Ni-NTA resin (Qiagen) was used to purify the recombinant proteins. All recombinant allergens, excluding Der f 11 peptide fragment, were separated from inclusion bodies, and separated on a SDS-polyacrylamide gel under reducing conditions, and protein concentrations were quantified by Bradford assay. SDS-PAGE results of the recombinant mite allergens prepared in this study are shown in FIG. 3. rDer f 1 is cysteine protease and has about 27 kDa. rDer f 2 is a NPC2 family and has about 15 kDa. rDer f 10 is tropomyosin and has about 37 kDa. rDer f 11 is a fragment of paramyosin and has about 98 kDa. rDer f 13 is a fatty acid-binding protein and has about 15 kDa. rDer f 14 is a fragment of apolipophorin and has about 177 kDa. rDer f 30 is ferritin and has about 16 kDa. rDer f 32 is secreted inorganic pyrophosphatase and has about 35 kDa. rDer f Alt a 10 is aldehyde dehydrogenase and has a homology with a fungus allergen Alt a 10 and has about 54 kDa.

TABLE 3 Allergen Host cell Primer Sequence 5'-3' rDer f 1 Pichia Forward 5'-CTCGAGCGTCCAGCTTCAATCAAAACT-3' (SEQ ID NO: 22) Reverse 5'- GGCCGCTTAGTGATGGTGATGGTGATGCGCG CCGCGTGATGGTG-3' (SEQ ID NO: 23) rDer f 2 E. coli Forward 5'-GATCAAGTCGATGTTAAAG-3' (SEQ ID NO: 24) Reverse 5'-TCAAACAATGTTTTTTGT-3' (SEQ ID NO: 25) rDer f 10 E. coli Forward 5'-ATGGAGGCCATCAAGAAA-3' (SEQ ID NO: 26) Reverse 5'-CTGTCTGCGTAATATGAAAG-3' (SEQ ID NO: 27) rDer f 11* E. coli Forward 5'-cacattgaatcggaagaaacg-3' (SEQ ID NO: 28) Reverse 5'-TgATTCTAATTCCACTTCCAA-3' (SEQ ID NO: 29) E. coli Forward 5'-ATggCAAgCATTgAAggTAA-3' (SEQ ID NO: 30) Reverse 5'-TTAgATTCgTTTATATgTTC-3' (SEQ ID NO: 31) rDer f 13 E. coli Forward 5'-atggatccgtcaacattgag-3' (SEQ ID NO: 32) Reverse 5'-TCAgTTgTCTTCgACgATgAAATT-3' (SEQ ID NO: 33) rDer f 14* E. coli Forward 5'-ATggCTgCTAATCCTgAATC-3' (SEQ ID NO: 34) Reverse 5'-TTACgATgAATgCAATgTATgAC-3' (SEQ ID NO: 35) rDer f 30 E. coli Forward 5'-ATgTCTACTACAAATTATTC-3' (SEQ ID NO: 36) Reverse 5'-TTAgATCAATTTAACATgATgCC-3' (SEQ ID NO: 37) rDer f 32 Pichia Forward 5'-ATggCCCAAgTggAAgTAAAA-3' (SEQ ID NO: 38) Reverse 5'-CTAATTTAAATTCgAATTTTTATTC-3' (SEQ ID NO: 39) rDer f Alt a E. coli Forward 5'-atggcccaagtggaagtaaaatatac-3' (SEQ ID NO: 10 40) Reverse 5'-CTAATTTAAATTCgAATTTTTATTC-3' (SEQ ID NO: 41)

6. Protein Profiling of D. farinae Component Allergens

Serum sIgE was detected using ImmunoCAP (ThermoFisher Scientific, Uppsala, Sweden). IgE titers higher than 0.35 kU_(A)/L were considered positive. sIgE to total D. farinae extract and sIgE to Der p 1, Der p 2, and Der p 10 which are commercially available mite component allergens were measured.

To compare IgE reactivities to the component allergens, ELISA and ImmunoCAP were performed. Since the recombinant component allergens of D. farinae cannot be used in ImmunoCAP, Der p 2 was used. FIG. 4 shows data showing a comparison of IgE reactivities to mite allergens in ELISA and ImmunoCAP. As shown in FIG. 4, Der f 2 ELISA data showed a significant correlation with Der p 2 IgE titers detected by ImmunoCAP (R²=0.82).

7. Sensitization Profiling of D. farinae Component Allergens

2 μg/ml of the recombinant protein was dissolved in a 0.05 M carbonate buffer solution at pH 9.6, and coated onto a microplate, followed by incubation at 4° C. overnight. The incubated plate was washed with a phosphate buffered saline solution containing 0.05% Tween 20 (PBST), and the plate was incubated with PBST containing 3% skim milk to block non-specific binding. A serum sample was diluted with PBST containing 1% bovine serum albumin at 1:4, and dispensed into the plate, followed by incubation for 1 hour. Subsequently, biotin-conjugated goat anti-human IgE (1:1,000) (Vector, Burlingame, Calif.) and streptavidin peroxidase (1:1,000) (Sigma-Aldrich) were added to detect IgE antibody. Subsequently, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (Kirkegaard and Perry Laboratories, Gaithersburg, Md.) was used for color development. 0.5 M H₂SO₄ was added and absorbance at 450 nm was measured. Mean absorbance value of negative controls and standard deviations of triplicate experiments were determined as cut-off value.

IgE reactivities of the respective component allergens are shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5A, about 91% of the patients of Group 1 (allergic respiratory disease patient group) or Group 2 (allergic dermatitis patient group) were sensitized to major allergens. Only 14 patients (8.8%) were sensitized to minor allergens. Sensitization profiles of the respective groups are shown in FIG. 5B. The atopic dermatitis patient group showed higher sensitization rates of Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, and Der f Alt 10 than the allergic respiratory disease patient group.

As shown in FIG. 6, the number of sensitized allergens was different between the groups. The allergic dermatitis patients tended to be sensitized to various mite component allergens. As shown in FIG. 6A, the atopic dermatitis-accompanying allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis patients showed the largest number of sensitized allergens. As shown in FIG. 6B, about 80.6% patients of the allergic respiratory disease patient group were sensitized to two kinds of allergens. However, about 54% of the atopic dermatitis patients were sensitized to three to five kinds of allergens. The atopic dermatitis patient group showed the highest optical density of the major allergen (Der f 1 or Der f 2), which was measured by ELISA. Further, the atopic dermatitis patient group showed the highest IgE reactivities of Der f 11, 13, 14, 32, and Alt a 10. Patients sensitized to minor allergy antigens tended to be sensitized to various HDM component allergens. Referring to FIG. 8, it was found that Der f 11, Der f 13, and Der f Alt a 10 antigens (sensitizers) were all multiple antigens.

TABLE 4 Total AA/AR AA/AR + AD AD (n = 160) (n = 67) (n = 41) (n = 52) P value Der f 1, n(%) 141(88.1%)  55(82.1%) 40(97.6%) 46(88.5%) 0.054 Der f 2, n(%) 125(78.1%)  47(70.1%) 35(85.4%) 43(82.7%) 0.112 Der f 1 or 2, n(%) 146(91.3%)  57(85.1%) 40(97.6%) 49(94.2%) 0.070 Der f 10, n(%) 23(14.4%)  8(11.9%)  7(17.1%)  8(15.4%) 0.738 Der f 11, n(%) 17(10.6%) 3(4.5%) 4(9.8%) 10(19.2%) 0.034 Der f 13, n(%) 31(19.4%) 3(4.5%) 15(36.6%) 13(25.0%) <0.001 Der f 14, n(%) 35(21.9%) 5(7.5%) 17(41.5%) 13(25.0%) <0.001 Der f 30, n(%) 17(10.6%) 3(4.5%)  5(12.2%)  9(17.3%) 0.074 Der f 32, n(%) 40(25.0%) 5(7.5%) 18(43.9%) 17(32.7%) <0.001 Der f Alt a 10, n(%) 29(18.1%) 2(3.0%) 10(24.4%) 17(32.7%) <0.001

8. Statistical Analysis

The above results were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM Corp Armonk, N.Y.) for Windows Version 23.0. For comparisons of parameters, Kruskal-Wallis test, Fisher's exact test, or Pearson's chi-squared test was used. Non-parametric continuous data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test, and categorical data were analyzed by Fisher's exact test or Pearson's chi-squared test. For multiple comparisons between groups, Dunn test was performed after Kruskal-Wallis test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

In this study, proteome and allergenome of house dust mite were analyzed, and sensitization profiles of allergic respiratory disease patients and allergic dermatitis (atopic dermatitis) patients were investigated. As a result, allergic respiratory disease patients were sensitized to Der f 1 and Der f 2 which are the major allergens. In contrast, patients with allergic dermatitis symptoms showed multiple sensitization to minor allergens as well as major allergens. The composition for diagnosing allergic diseases to mites includes Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alta 10, ora combination thereof, and therefore, atopic dermatitis patient group may be sensitized to an allergen of Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof, and the atopic dermatitis patient group showed about 2 times or higher, about 2.5 times or higher, about 3 times or higher, about 3.5 times or higher, about 4 times or higher, about 4.5 times or higher, or about 5 times or higher sensitization rates to the allergen than the patient group only with allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis, or a normal group. Further, allergic dermatitis patients showed IgE sensitization to various mite component allergens and high sIgE reactivities.

It should be understood that embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments.

While one or more embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of diagnosing an allergic disease to at least one mite species, the method comprising: detecting binding of Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof and IgE antibodies in a biological sample isolated from a subject; diagnosing with an allergic disease to at least one mite species when a binding between the IgE antibody and Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof is detected, administrating an effective amount of Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof to the subject diagnosed with the allergic disease to at least one mite species.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof comprises an amino acid sequence having about 95% or more sequence homology with any one amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 1, 3, 5, 7, and
 9. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting binding of Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, or a combination thereof and IgE antibodies in the biological sample.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, or a combination thereof comprises an amino acid sequence having about 95% or more sequence homology with any one amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 11, 13, 15, and
 17. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting is performed by immunoassay.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one mite species is Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Euroglyphus maynei, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Blomia tropicalis, or a combination thereof.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the allergic disease is allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, or a combination thereof.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising administrating an effective amount of Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, or a combination thereof to the subject diagnosed with the allergic disease to at least one mite species.
 9. A method of treating an allergic disease to at least one mite species, the method comprising: administrating an effective amount of Der f 11, Der f 13, Der f 14, Der f 32, Der f Alt a 10, or a combination thereof to a subject diagnosed with an allergic disease to at least one mite species.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising administrating an effective amount of Der f 1, Der f 2, Der f 10, Der f 30, or a combination thereof to the subject. 